Learning Through Play Together: SEN Siblings 100 Ways Your Child Can Learn Through Play: Fun Activities for Young Children with SEN by Georgina Durrant was released in June 2021. This book* builds on the success of Georgina’s website The SEN Resources Blog. In the book Georgina shares 100 activities that are designed to provide inclusive … Read more
I have been leading behaviour in schools for nearly 10 years now. My approach and ethos has evolved over that time. One area that I haven’t changed is the idea that relationships are the key element in effective behaviour support. I know this is sometimes not enough, but if a strong trusting relationship (not friendship!) … Read more
The Town and Country Sensory Story was written for the cornerstones industrial revolution topic. This was designed to be meaningful for PMLD learners as well as their peers so they can all take something away from the shared experience of multi-sensory storytelling. If you are interested in finding out more about sensory stories have a … Read more
100 EHCP Targets – Peer Interactions, Social Interaction. It is not uncommon to see EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plans) targets linked to Social Skills, Play and Peer Interactions However these often present unique challenges to children with SEND and especially autistic children. These challenges go beyond “they don’t know how”. It is much more … Read more
Hand Over Hand Support The use of physical prompts which includes hand over hand technique and hand under hand is widespread and accepted practice. This includes but is not limited to, pupils with a range of disabilities including PMLD, SLD, and visual impairment. Described by VanDijk (1966) as forming part of a set of teaching … Read more
Why should you give children breaks during the day? This post was inspired by an overheard conversation and links two issues. Access to planned interventions and the provision of learning breaks throughout the day. A parent of an autistic child was questioning whether a school should have stopped their child from attending their sensory circuit … Read more
Using Immersive Games to Enhance Literacy I was recently talking to our speech therapist about a project I was involved with in 2011. This was with Tim Ryland who has sadly passed away. The Nurturing narrative event was held in partnership with the Kent CAT (Communication and Assistive Technology Team). I looked it up to … Read more
Our Charles Darwin: Voyage of the Beagle multi-sensory story was originally created for a Key Stage 4 class, linking with the Cornerstones Curriculum topic “Darwin’s Delight.” This story was designed as part of our Stage 5 immersive storytelling series, which features more advanced language, layered imagery, and opportunities for deeper exploration. While the vocabulary and … Read more
Mother of God it’s the Line of Duty Sensory Story! No copyright infringement intended (Sorry BBC, please don’t sue) just a bit of fun. I wrote this with older sensory learners in mind. Sometimes sensory stories are not fully age appropriate for adults with PMLD. There is no reason not to engage people based on … Read more
Understanding Dyslexia: An In-Depth Guide for Teachers Dyslexia is a common learning disability that causes reading, writing, and spelling difficulties. It impacts up to 20% of the population. This in-depth guide will provide teachers with a thorough understanding of dyslexia – from characteristics and challenges to tailored teaching strategies and classroom accommodations. With proper support, … Read more
Advice for using visual timelines with ASD children Guest Post It’s well understood that many children find comfort in routine, and that maintaining routine reduces problem behaviours. Equally visuals, such as PECS cards, and timelines are widely used alongside a strong routine across both home and school to support autistic children. However through my experience … Read more
Lessons and Activity Ideas For an SEN Teaching Interview Our recruitment and interview process posts are very popular. However we haven’t talked about the teaching interview activity. One of the questions we get asked is around the teaching side of the interview process. Candidates for teaching positions almost always have to demonstrate their teaching skills … Read more
Why Teach “All About Me” Lessons In SEN one of the most important things is to get to know your pupil. All about me sessions are a generally accepted part of the process. These lessons are often done in September on a change of class or on the transition into school. I am a real … Read more
50 Free DIY Maths Manipulatives In this post, we will look at two great resources to buy and two free to make maths manipulatives. As an SEN teacher, you will be used to making the most of what you have. Specialist Sensory toys, resources, and equipment are usually very expensive. This means SEN teachers need … Read more
Re-connection and Relationships in the Post Lockdown Return to School Re-connection and relationships. This is a record of the #SENexchange Discussion following the wider reopening of UK schools for the easing of lockdown on March 8th 2021. Many schools had been closed to most pupils from January. Children with an EHCP, vulnerable pupils, keyworker children … Read more
Easter Learning Games and Activities for EYFS/SEND Children Easter learning games and resources are great for use in several SEND-focused activities. I would use this with a wider age range than they are designed for. This raises questions about how age-appropriate each resource and I discuss this issue in this blog. Context in choosing resources … Read more
Multi-Sensory Stories For Key Vocabulary Sensory stories are a powerful way to teach key vocabulary through touch, sound, smell, and movement — especially for learners with SEND or in early years settings. This post shares two focused, free-to-download stories exploring the concepts of hot and cold. These easy-to-set-up stories use everyday objects to embed language, … Read more
A Traditional Easter Sensory Story This is my attempt to capture the key themes of the traditional Easter story in the format of a sensory story. Being relatively complex I have had to remove a few elements and reduce some situations to single lines. I have not shied away from the more violent sections but … Read more
We got our hands on these three great maths game resources from Learning Resources. I had seen a post on instagram with the pirate treasure game. It was being used by a speech therapist so I was very excited when I got a chance to have a play learning session with it. I am currently … Read more
How Important is Age Appropriateness in School? Whether an activity or interest is age-appropriate is an ongoing argument in SEND education. Frustratingly it seems to only apply to children with SEN. Particularly regarding activities for PMLD learners and the special interests of autistic children. Even more annoying is when we label something “not age-appropriate”. The … Read more
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